Writers POV

There is an awakening magic each day in the early morning, a sense of an old earth-spirit rekindled that seeks to knit together all that is good. Leaving her behind, perhaps because she does not belong to good. She was sitting on the loveseat by the window, staring out the open window at nature. Sleep didn't come to her, she was awake the whole night. When he opened his eyes, the sun had just begun to rise, and he saw her sitting with her back to him. He slid out of bed, slightly cringing from the pain in his hand. He took soft, silent steps behind her and gently rested his hand on her shoulder. When he touched her, she flinched and turned around to see a look of hurt and ambiguity on his face.

"Has something happened, love?" he asked softly, she turned her gaze to the window.

"Nothing that should concern you." He was perplexed when she responded coldly, her voice laced with unfiltered venom. He felt as if he had been thrown a hundred steps back by a single sentence. She'd never been this cold to him before, not even when he'd taken her without her permission.

"Ok." He turned around and walked into the bathroom, where he took a shower and changed his clothes before coming out of the closet. She was still sitting on the loveseat near the window. He could tell she hadn't slept the night before, that something was seriously wrong, and that she wasn't prepared to talk to him. He got closer to her, and even though she could feel him approaching, she didn't turn. He knelt beside her and spoke tenderly.

"I can tell there is something that has happened, but you're not ready to tell me yet. Whatever it is, I'll be right there when you're ready to talk. Please get dressed and come down for breakfast. The pack suffered a lot of losses yesterday, and we should be there to morally support them."

He waits for her response but receives none; he sighs and stands up to leave. She walks into the dining hall not long after he does, with forthright steps and a cold face. He cast a glance at her as she took a seat beside him on the head table. Her gaze swept across the room, which had a grim ambiance about it. And she could see that most of them were in grief. Their eyes were downcast, and a dark shadow fell across their faces. Even Luna Lisa didn't give her a nasty glare. The pack was mourning. Aiden rose from his seat and began speaking, his voice tinged with respect and grief.

"The life given to us by nature is brief, but a life well spent and served is eternal; we lost five brave souls yesterday. "Four of them were like brothers to me; we grew up together and fought countless battles side by side; their parents and families had fought bravely and died serving the King, and they had fought bravely and served their kingdom their entire lives.

And the young warrior from the Dawn pack, had a bright future ahead of him, he was brave, and he died saving his comrades from the fire; I can only imagine how his family must be feeling right now. Let us remember those brave souls and pray that they rest in peace. Let us pray for those who have been injured, and I give you my words to whoever is responsible for their death, and for those who have been taken and killed shall pay."

He maintained a calm stance and voice, but she could tell by looking at him that a storm was brewing inside of him. She could tell he was in deep mourning because he had lost four of his closest companions. In shame and grief, her gaze fell to her lap. With a new ray of hope in their eyes, the entire pack looked up to him. She could see they looked up to him and trusted him to abide by his words. He took a seat, and everyone began to serve themselves breakfast. He approached her with the intention of serving her food, but she already had food on her plate. He looked at her in disbelief, but quickly masked his expressions. He took the first bite quietly, and everyone else followed suit.

"Nick," he summoned his Beta, who sat to his left.

"Yes, Alpha."

"How far are the funeral preparations?" he asked coldly, stealing glances at Ariel, who was eating quietly.

"The preparations are almost finished, and per your instructions, no other pack was invited; the funeral is scheduled for this afternoon," Aiden nodded, turning his head to see Ariel standing up.

"I'm done," she said as she exited the hall, not looking at him. He kept staring at her as she walked away, his gaze remaining fixed on the door even after she had disappeared.

The afternoon arrived sooner than expected, so they dressed in full black and proceeded to the Moongoddess shrine. It was situated between the Dawn and Royal Packs. This shrine was used by wolves and lycans for worship as well as other purposes such as funerals. However, not all wolves were permitted. They drove to the shrine and Prince Aiden walked inside with the warriors and Beta Nick. The pack members were already inside. He wasn't accompanied by Ariel, but they had a heated argument just before coming here. He was unable to persuade her to accompany him to the funeral. He's not sure why, but she was acting distant and cold. She was so upbeat and accepting of him the day before, and it only took twenty-four hours for everything to change so drastically.

She couldn't bring herself to go to the funeral with her moon-blessing. How could she when she was the one to blame for their demise? She was returning to the bedroom from the front balcony as most of the pack members left, leaving her and a few guards behind. As she stepped into the bedroom corridor, she noticed a silhouette of a man fade away from the other end. She frowned and followed the silhouette, but it was a dead end with only a window on one side of the wall. The window was wide open, and when she looked down, she saw the man's silhouette run towards the front of the manor and vanish. She tried to detect any odors, but the air was clean, making it difficult to identify the man. She returned to her bedroom, and there was an envelope in front of the door. She picked it up and walked inside. She couldn't throw her Moon-blessing and innocent wolves into danger knowingly,

So there she was, dressed in full gear bathed in fresh red blood, hiding in an oak tree near the shrine premises. Those creatures, as the letter had stated, were lurking in the shadows, waiting to strike. They would have struck if she had been even a moment late.

She stared at the entrance, or more specifically, at one person. The funeral had just ended, and he was standing with the warrior's family. He was dressed in a black suit, his hair was sleekly styled, and there was a gloomy shadow over his handsome face. Her gaze lingered on the bandaged arm as he pulled one of his arms out of the suit sleeve. She turned around and walked away, disappearing into the forest that surrounded the shrine. He did, however, catch a glimpse of the receding silhouette. He summoned his Beta Nick and whispered something into his ear; on his command, Nick quietly gestured some of their warriors and left. After a while, they returned, and Nick stood behind the warrior family, quietly nodding his head to his Alpha. The days passed in a blur, with more threats and bloodshed. She kept her distance from Aiden, and when he wasn't with her, she was out killing and fleeing. She felt as though she was thrown right back at the darkness she tried to flee.

The next day flew by in a blur, and night fell. He'd been working all day and couldn't wait to get back to their chamber and rest with her by his side. When he opened the bedroom door, she was sitting on a loveseat near the window. From where he stood, she appeared befuddled. Her face was framed by a helpless shadow. He knew she felt his presence but she didn't look at him. He walked closer to her as she continued to ignore him.

"Ariel?" When he called her name, she raised her head to look at him. For a split second, he saw fear and affection in her hazel eyes before they were replaced by coldness.

"Are you okay?" he asked, frowning.

"Stop asking the same question over and over." She snapped.

"You may be my mate, but I will not tolerate disrespect." His words came out as low growls, his beast was already agitated by the loss of his beloved companions and his absence from their pack. He had to work all day and he would return to her with the expectation of feeling some affection, but it just doesn't seem to come from her.

"You should have thought about respect when you kidnapped me."

"I thought you'd moved on from that! And I'd do it again if I had to. You belong to me."

"I don't belong to anyone, and even if I did, I'd never belonged to you. I'd gladly take any other wolf." He growled and snapped his jaw as she said it through gritted teeth. His claws and canines were reinforced, and his fist landed by her head, enclosing her.

"You are mine and only mine! I would not tolerate such words coming from your mouth! The Goddess blessed me with you." He growled

"This is not a blessing; it is a scourge. I despise the Goddess for pairing you with me." Her tone was filled with venom and hatred. Hurt flashed through his dark eyes as he heard her words. He drew back his arm and stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut with a loud thud. She took a deep breath and leaned back against the window frame. She did despise the Goddess for she paired him with someone like her. He should have been paired with someone deserving of his love and affection, someone who wasn't like her, someone who was better. Then and only then should he allude to it as a blessing.

The letters kept coming, sometimes through the window when she was alone, sometimes in the food platter, sometimes casually in the room when she was alone. She would frequently catch a glimpse of the same silhouette, but she was never able to catch him or lay a finger on him. She would often receive taunting smirks from the man before he would disappear. She was aware that someone on the inside was collaborating with him. For the letter's delivery time and moments wouldn't be so perfect if it was done by someone from the outside. She only needed to figure out who. If she had to take a wild guess, she had a name in her head.

The mornings came, the nights fell, and two mates gradually drifted apart. She was determined to stay away from him, even though her soul ached because she knew it was better to keep him safe, or so she thought. What she didn't realize was that her distance was causing him more harm than any physical injuries. When he pushed his way through her walls to get closer to her, she was cold to him. Her cold exterior, her words hurt him, but it didn't stop him from approaching her.

She would often get up before Aiden and go to the gym, which was always empty at the early hour of the morning. Unlike the training grounds, it was always crowded with warriors who awoke even before birds. Just like all those mornings, she got up at the early hour of the morning and left Aiden in the cold bed to wake up alone. She would train and stay at the gym till midday so she doesn't have to return to the bedroom and face him. Although he knew where she was but he never went in to look for her. He wanted her to have her time alone but when she would return he would already have to leave to finish his work. She pushed the gym door open with her shoulder, wrapping her hand, preparing for boxing. As she walked into the gym, she heard grunts and looked up to see a figure standing in front of a punching bag. She frowned and moved in closer, recognizing the male as the Beta of the Dawn Pack. He was dressed in black shorts and gray muscle T-shirts. He was drenched in sweat as he worked hard on punching the punchbag in front of him. He hadn't noticed her presence yet, so she coughed to get his attention. He cocked his head and looked over his shoulder. He came to a halt, catching the punching bag, and turned around to face her. He bowed his head and spoke up,

"To whom I owe the honor of being graced by Her Highness's visit."

________________________________________

Hello, my little assassins. I had written this chapter total of three times and after editing it twice now you have the final result.

On to the next topic; I was approached by a new reading site called Popink. And now my book is there in a nonexclusive contact. So if you guys wanna support me, please go and read the chapters there. The book will still be here, I don't intend to take it down and I'm free to do whatever I please. I don't want to lose such amazing readers as you guys. Every single notification of votes and comments brings me immense joy and I want to be able to still get notifications from you guys commenting on your thoughts. That is it for now. See you again in the next update.

Stay safe 💕

Vote

Comment

Share

Don't forget to,

JOIN THE PRIVATE GROUP: (Author Daisy Chaseley) www.facebook.com/groups/authordaisychaseley

LIKE & FOLLOW MY F B PAGE: (Daisy Chaseley) www.facebook.com/daisychaseley/

Happy reading,

Daisy Chaseley